zastava rifles

[Oklahoma Rebel]

in comparison to theCZ550 fs in 9.3X62, does anyone know if the zastava m70 9.3X62 is better or worse quality. I like the CZ better but it has a 20.5 in barrel, which is a bit short, and the zastava has a 22 in, prices are close enough to not matter

[Texas by God]

CZ would be my pick. But I 'm sure the zastava is a good one too.( Mark 10, Herters J9, Charles Daly, Rem 798 were all Zastava made.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

wow, did not know that! I guess you learn something new everyday, even from Texans!

[wonderwolf]

I would err on the side of CZ...I've owned a few of their CZ's and their 550 is very well built, and smooth. I've handled a few Zastava guns and I don't think they really had the fit and finish that CZ has but I'm not sure what their new stuff is like.

[Texas by God]

What he said^^^^

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[Mr Peabody]

The CZ's have nicer wood, but if you want a rougher duty gun I don't think you'd be upset with the Zastava.

[oldblinddog]

The Zastava, or Mark X, is a 98 that has been de-militarized. 98's rattle, but, to put it into 21st century terms, the rattle in a 98 is not a bug, it's a feature. Meaning that you can take the thing to Kodiak island, drag it around behind you with a rope and it will still work when you encounter the bear that thinks you are a snack. Both of mine wear plastic stocks. They aren't pretty.

[waksupi]

If you hunt in severe conditions, like dirt or extreme cold, the Zastava is a good way to go.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

yeah, I think I will stick with the CZ, I am very careful with my guns when hunting, and the worst conditions I might see are rain or snow.(not much of that though, here in ok). I was also planning on taking the action/barrel off and giving the unfinished wood on the inside a coat of epoxy, that way if water does get in there it wont soak in and cause warping. does that sound like an ok idea?

[Scorpion8]

I have long been a fan of the original Interarms MarkX, and still own and use one from the early 80's. With that in mind, I sought out a new Zastava Z98 a few years ago and it wasn't quite the same quality. The bolt dragged and was difficult to cycle, even after a lot of lapping. The stocks are fine, no worse than anybody else's plastic stuff with spongy recoil pad. My original MarkX cycles like the action was made of silicone, and the newer one was a slight disappointment. However, I've seen Remington 798's that acted like the original Zastava Interarms actions, slick and smooth. Perhaps I just got a lemon. My only advice would be to handle both of them. Zastava is an old, well-established firearms firm and their Yugo AK's are the stuff of legend.

[wonderwolf]

I guess it boils down to how much of a DIY'er you are

[CHeatermk3]

If price is not an issue, I'd go with the CZ.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I've owned several CZs over the years and tthey all were a tad rough. Their proices haven't changed a lot over the years, but costs have increased. I left my CZ527 7.62x39 at the gunsmith's today as the rails need polishing. It has seen around 1000 rounds, but the bolt is still very stiff. I thought that it would loosen up, but that hasn't happened.

I have owned a lot of MkXs / Zasatavas and none really needed gunsmith intervention, they all were fine after a couple of hundred rounds.

I currently own a late 80s 3006 With a Ramline (noise maker) stock, a 270Win Blued and a 9.3x62 Stainless, both with plastic stocks and a 375H&H and a 458Win Mag, both with wooden stocks. All are fine.

Every Brno / CZ I have ever owned needed smoothing, etc.

[Ricochet]

My CZ has a much prettier finish than a Zastava. The moving parts are fitted closely, and I had to break in the bolt and the safety by manually working each 500-600 times to make them acceptably smooth. After that, with a light greasing, it is very nice. I'm not ever going to hunt in WWI trench conditions, and I consider precise fitting a feature, not a bug. The CZ is very accurate. YMMV.

[Ricochet]

FWIW, the smoothest, slickest, most wobble-free bolt action I have ever encountered is a late '90s USRA made Winchester M70 push feed, the Wal-Mart special blind magazine, black plastic stock "Black Shadow" edition.

[Ricochet]

I'm really not downing Zastava, either. They make a full stock carbine that I would love to have in 8X57. Last year about this time I couldn't find one for sale in the U.S. They're not as prettily finished as CZs, though.

[Texas by God]

I hear you Ricochet. I've wanted one more Tikka T3 in either 8x57 or 9.3 to complete my battery-alas not to be on this side of the pond. Talk about slick&smooth!
Best, Thomas.

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[Huffmanite]

Own a Zavasta M70. Bought it over a year ago when Academny Sports and Outdoors put them on clearance for $179. A range buddy bought several of them. Think all of our Zavasta's have been rebarreled. We bought them to get the actions to build on. Don't own a CZ, but have seen a number of them at range and shot a couple of them. About the Zavasta wood. While I did not care for its design, its finish was definitely 2nd rate. I do wood working, make many of my own rifle stocks. So, I did minor alterations to my Zavasta stock and refinished it. It turned out to be a rather nice piece of wood. A few months later I had to talk myself out of buying a Zavasta M70 at a gunshow after taking a good look at its wood. Hidden in its lousy factory finish was one darn very nice piece of colorful walnut.

Have too high opinion of CZ rifles to recommend the Zavasta, but then I've no complaints about how my bolt functions and can't recall my buddy having anything negative to say about its receiver and bolt.

[warboar_21]

I own a CZ 550fs in 6.5x55 and it happens to be one of my favorite guns. Shoots as good as it looks. The short barrel hasn't really handicapped me as I'm able to get about 100fps under my 22" barreled howa.


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[Oklahoma Rebel]

wow.... so good reviews on both zastava and CZ, I cant find a zastava in 9.3 X62 in the usa and since it is what I have really wanted all along, I am still going with the CZ550FS 9.3X62